Petroleum hydrocarbon emulsions



ateted- Jan. l, Wi

PETROLEUM HROCBONEMULSIONfi Leo Liberthson, New York, N. n, assignor to L.

Sonneborn Sons, Inc., a corporation of Dela- No Drawing. Application May 17, 1941, Serial No. 393,945

Claims. (Cl. 252-312) This invention relates to new and useful improvements in petroleum hydrocarbon emulsions.

Emulsions of petroleum hydrocarbons in an aqueous phase are used for a variety of purposes, such as for cutting oils, lubricants and coolants, textile treating agents, etc. As a rule, the emulsification of petroleum hydrocarbons is eifected by the use of emulsifying substances and other additives designed to produce substantially stable, 1: er, substantially non-segregating oil-inwater emulsions. Though substantially stable, these oil-in-water emulsions exhibit a pronounced tendency toward foam formation. The foam, often produced as the result of even relatively slight agitation, is in most instances a hindrance to the effective use of these emulsions. Resort is usually had to so-called fiatteners applied to the foam, such as potash, soda, kerosene, and the like agents. These, however, though temporarily effective with respect to the disruption of the foam, will destroy the stability of the emulsion, and thus make frequent renewal of the emulsions necessary.

I have discovered that it is possible to obtain substantially non-foaming petroleurm hydrocarbon emulsions by incorporating into the blend comprising petroleum hydrocarbon and petroleum hydrocarbon emulsifying base, a relatively small amount of chromium oleate. When reference is made herein to the term petroleum hydrocarbon emulsifying base, or simply, emulsifying base, or where an expression of similar import is used, I mean to connote thereby a composition as it is known in the art to procure emulsification of a petroleum hydrocarbon oil in aqueous phase and substantially comprising one or more emulsifying agents known in the art, such as oil soluble alkali metal soaps, together with other additives known in the art. including agents constituting a solvent miscible with both the emulsifying material and the aqueous phase in which the petroleum hydrocarbons are to be dispersed. The term petroleum hydrocarbon" or similar expression as used herein is meant to connote liquid hydrocarbons or mixtures thereof of the type commonly found in the petroleum oil distillate range.

In accordance with the invention, I prefer to incorporate the chromium oleate into the emulsifying base in any suitable manner, and thereafter adding this base to the petroleum hydrocarbon oil to be emulsified. For best results 0.25 to 1.0% by weight of the base of chromium oleate may be used. Instead of incorporating the chromium .oleate in the emulsifying base, the same may be suitably added to the petroleum hydrocarbon in equivalent amounts.

Chromium oleates have only recently become commercially available. The quality of these commercial chromium oleate compounds is not quite uniform and in fact, leaves in many instances, much to be desired. I have found that satisfactory results may be obtained when selecting a product substantially conforming to the.

following properties: An iodine value in excess of and preferably to a chromium content in excess of 6%, preferably 6.5 to 7.0% colloid type dispersions in. simple organic solvents such as benzol or chloroform exhibiting definite Tyndall efiect; formation of solutions in the last referred to solvents exhibiting characteristics of dichromism, i. e., blue-green by reflected light and reddish-purple by transmitted light.

The following base composition is typical of a conventional emulsifying base which when blended with the petroleum hydrocarbon oil renders the latter emulsiflable in water to form an average stable emulsion:

Percent Petroleum mahogany sulphonate (40% cccluded oil content) -1 70 Soda rosin soap 19.5 Diethylene glycol 4.5 Water 6 When preparing, in accordance with the inven- I,

tion, the same base but incorporating therein from 0.25 to 1.0% chromium oleate, and then blending and emulsifying as afore-described, the resulting emulsion possesses the same stability, but is now substantially non-foaming.

In some cases the conditions of blending and/or the particular proportion of materials present in a given emulsifying base or its petroleum hydrocarbon blend are such that the addition of another material, such asohromium oleate, might tend to disturb a carefully maintained balance, thus giving rise to emulsions of impaired stability. In the majority of cases, however, this can be overcome by so adjusting the conditions or amounts of agents present in the emulsifying base or its petroleum hydrocarbon blend as to compensate for the addition of chromium oleate.; thereby safeguarding against loss or impairment of stability of the ultimately to be procured emulsions. For example, when the formula given above was blended with a re claimed Mid-Continent oil having the Saybolt viscosity of 100 at 100. F., permanently stable emulsions were procured, but these emulsions possessed an excessive foam forming tendency. When 1% chromium oleate was added to the base, and the base then blended with the same the purpose of correcting the loss 'of stability without impairing the non-foaming characteristics of the emulsion, the base was adjusted by the addition of 3% of water and 1% of diethylene glycol. Emulsions obtained with hydrocarbon blends containing the thus corrected or adjusted emulsifying base possess permanent stability while retaining their non-foaming character;

Conventional emulsifying bases are limited in their blending adaptability, i. e., they are capable of producing satisfactory blends only with certain given classes or types of petroleum hydrocarbons. It has been hitherto necessary, therefore, to prepare for each different class or type of petroleum hydrocarbon a different, specially adjusted emulsifying base. One of the most outstanding advantages of my discovery is the fact that once chromium oleate is added in accord ance with the invention to an emulsifying base and, if necessary, proper adjustments for compatibility of the chromium oleate with the base and/or the petroleum hydrocarbon to be blended with the chromium oleate containing base are made, the blending adaptability of such base ceases to be limited to certain classes or types of petroleum hydrocarbons, but will now cover the entire range of petroleum hydrocarbons, thus eliminating the necessity for multiple adjustment of bases for different type blends. As a concrete example, for instance, the emulsifying base formula of the conventional type first above given is compatible and blendable with a pale oil of naphthenic origin-from the general viscosity range of Saybolt 100-to 200 at 100 F. and will, when so blended, produce satisfactory stable emulsions. The same base, however, will not satisfactorily blend for the purpose of producing stable emulsions with a different type oil, such as, for instance, a semi-acid refined paraffinic oil of a Saybolt viscosity of 100 at 100 F. Once the base, however, contains incorporated therein, as hereinabove described, chromium oleate, it will blend with both the pale naphthenic oil and the semi-refined paramnic oil.

It is, of course, understood that the foregoing acorn-rat example of an emulsifying base is merelyone of representation and that the invention is applicableto any other emulsifying base or blend of emulsifying base and petroleum hydrocarbon oil as the case may be. a

The foregoing description is given by way of illustration and not of limitation and it is therefore my intention that the invention be limited only by the appended claims or. their equivalents wherein I have endeavored to claim broadly all inherent novelty.

I claim:

l. A composition of matter capable of forming substantially stable non-foaming aqueous emulsions of the oil-in-water type comprising a normally liquid petroleum hydrocarbon of the water soluble soap type, forming with said hydrocarbon normally foaming oil-in-water emulsions, an aqueous phase emulsifying agent, for said hydrocarbon, and a small amount of chromium oleate in amount and potency sumcient to'substantially suppress foam formation in aqueous emulsions of said composition without materially effecting the stability of such emulsions.

2. A composition of matter capable of forming substantially stable non-foamingaque'ous emulsions of the oil-in-watertype comprising a normally liquid petroleum hydrocarbon, an aqueous phase emulsifying agent for said hydrocarbon of the water soluble soap type, forming with said hydrocarbon normally foaming .oil-in-water emulsions, and 0.25 to 1.0% of chromium oleate calculated on said emulsifying base.

3. A composition of matter in accordance with claim 2 in which said chromium oleate has an iodine value of to 85, a chromium content of 6 to 7%, and is soluble in a solvent selected from the group consisting of benzol and chloroform with a Tyndall effect, exhibiting dichromism in such solution.

4. A composition of matter capable of forming, when blended with a normally liquid petroleum hydrocarbon, substantially stable nonfoaming aqueous emulsions of the oil-ln-water type comprising an aqueous phase emulsifying agent for said hydrocarbon of the water soluble soap type, forming with said hydrocarbon normally foaming oil-in-water emulsions and incorporated therein 0.25 to 1.0% of chromium oleate. 5. A composition of matter in accordance with claim 4 in which said chromium oleate has an iodine value of '70 to 85, a chromium content of 6 to 7%, and is soluble in a solvent selected from the group consisting of benzol and chloroform with a Tyndall effect, exhibiting dichromism in such solution.

LEO LIBERTHSON. 

